Daily Times

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said on Saturday that as per the Constitution, the country’s affairs would be run by its elected representatives.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion of his visit to Karachi Press Club, the minister said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was responsible for conducting free, fair, transparent and impartial elections under Article 218(3) of the Constitution. Principal Information Officer Asim Khichi was also present on the occasion. He said that the caretaker government would play its full role in holding free and fair elections.

The minister said that delimitation of constituencies would be completed by November 30 and after that, the final date of the election would also be given.

Terming Karachi Press Club as his old home, he said it has been an important front in the evolution of democracy in the country.

He said that Karachi Press Club had a historical status and its role in the freedom of expression, knowledge and people’s right to rule was praiseworthy. The minister said that working class and oppressed people of Pakistan also come to Karachi Press Club and explain their pains and sufferings.

Murtaza Solangi said that he was aware of the hardships suffered by the journalists as there were problems related to their jobs. He said that the current caretaker government was a constitutional and legal government under Article 224 of the Constitution and during its tenure, injustice cannot be done to journalists.

He said that measures would be taken together with the Principal Information Officer to solve the problems of journalists. In response to a question, the caretaker Federal Minister for Information said that the ECP had announced holding of elections in the last week of January. He said that the caretaker government would help the Election Commission in every way and all the requirements of the ECP would be fulfilled. In response to a question about the prices of petroleum products, the caretaker federal minister of information said that the prices of petroleum products were determined by the prices in the world market. He expressed the hope that the prices of petroleum products would decrease in the coming days.

To a question related to non-payment of salaries to media workers and journalists, the federal minister said that government advertisements would not be issued to those media houses that would not pay salaries to their employees. To another question, he said that about Rs 8 billion had been recovered from electricity thieves. He said due to electricity theft, other consumers are burdened and there was a need of correcting this system.

In response to a question, the minister said that if someone had any reservations about the ECP, he could knock the door of the courts. He said that the caretaker set up had limited mandate and time duration and they want to improve the economy of the country while remaining in their constitutional ambit.

Murtaza Solangi on Saturday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif would be treated according to the law upon his return to the country, adding that the former prime minister went to London with the authorisation of the government on medical grounds – a decision ex-premier Imran Khan termed as his “biggest mistake”. He said that Nawaz Sharif, who is set to return to the country on October 21, did not escape from jail but was allowed by the then government and the Lahore High Court (LHC) to go abroad.

The reference was made to the year 2019 when Nawaz Sharif, who had been sentenced to prison in Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, provided a written undertaking to the LHC, committing to return to Pakistan once his health improved.

A medical board established by the then government also corroborated the medical report submitted by Nawaz’s personal physician, Dr Adnan Khan, which had recommended allowing Nawaz to travel abroad for proper treatment due to his deteriorating health while in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore, where he was diagnosed with an “immune system disorder”.

PML-N has announced Nawaz’s return to the country next month, putting an end to his almost four-year self-imposed exile.